Are pregnancy cravings for real?

I feel like I use cravings as an excuse to eat, but maybe my body really needs them. I'm afraid I'm going to gain a million pounds. Help!

Mon. Jan 2, 1:00pm

I always heard of cravings while pregnant. I know a lot of people who gained way too much weight because they ate whatever they wanted thinking they would lose it all after. They didn't. I didn't experience any real cravings for any one food, but I did seem to crave salt, which I did eat a lot of, in pickles. I gained 26 pounds and was back to my prepregnancy weight in 2 weeks. I think if you do have actual cravings you should eat it or you might find yourself eating other things to avoid that and in the end not being satisfying and ending up eating it after all. So instead of just eating it to begin with and feeling happy and satisfied you will have eaten a lot of unwanted calories and will probably gain more weight then you need to. Does that makes sense? I would just make sure your not getting wrong messages from your body. Maybe instead of craving something it really needs more vitamins or something else.

Monday, January 2, 2006, 1:07 PM

I understand that the salt craving can be very real.
My friend hates fast food and french fries, but while she was pregnant, she drove several miles out of her way to get some McDonald's French Fries. She later figured out that she was craving salt!

Monday, January 2, 2006, 2:02 PM

When I was pregnant I didn't have cravings, I had aversions. There were some things I used to love that I just couldn't stand while I was pregnant. I did a lot of reading on it and one theory that made sense is that cravings and aversions are your body's way of telling you what nutrients you need, or what things you should be staying away from for whatever reason. So I would pay attention to them but just try to make good choices and moderate.

Monday, January 2, 2006, 2:05 PM

Cravings

Cravings are usually a sign that your body is missing something. I am pregnant now and I crave the following: salt, red meat, and water. But i know there are reasons why. Salt and red meat can mean that you need iron. Red meat can also mean that you need protein (I do because i don't normally eat red meat). water because when you are pregnant you get dehydrated really fast.

I do eat out a lot, but only because I cannot smell food cooking. I am 20 weeks and I have lost 45 pounds as I have severe morning sickness. My doctor may want me to go to the hospital on Tuesday because I am losing so much weight. Don't worry about losing weight because it is VERY unhealthy. But you can eat fruit and veggies. However, some people cannot stomach these things, so eat what you can just don't go overboard.

Monday, January 2, 2006, 2:12 PM

Just try and compare the cravings to cravings that you'd have before you got pregnant. If you walk past a plate full of cookies and suddenly have a craving for a cookie, or 5 or 10, that's probably not a real craving. But other cravings, like meat, etc., are probably real, especially if they're not linked to smell - you didn't just smell them and then decided that you want them! Just watch portion size - you can always eat more, but you can't un-eat!

Tuesday, January 3, 2006, 10:51 AM

I craved almonds, which was strange because I don't think I'd ever eaten one before my pregnancy, and suddenly I wanted bags of them. At the same time, my midwife found that I was not getting enough calcium, and almonds have calcium, so I believe my craving was trying to tell me something.
Definitely eat what your body's telling you to, just be moderate. You won't gain a million pounds. You'll gain a healthy little person! Good luck!

Tuesday, January 3, 2006, 11:31 AM

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